Sands of Time
by Vati Kazimir
Summary: When an artifact found in Egypt is linked to Atlantis, how will the remaining members of the Ulysses crew deal with the wrath of centuries old Egyptian deities come back to reclaim their followers? Rating will go up in future chapters.
1. City of the Dead

_**Sands of Time**_

Summary: When an artifact found in Egypt is linked to Atlantis, how will the remaining members of the Ulysses crew deal with the wrath of centuries old Egyptian gods come back to reclaim their followers, and how can a young eccentric Egyptologist help save them all from total annihilation?

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Disney does. I do own Anna Maria Victoria Gonzales Gay XIII, the city of Basheer, andAshzur Talmos. Ideas for the Book of the Prophets were inspired by the Summoner II game, but are in no way linked.

This story was Beta read by Myrrcoaster, whom I thank profoundly for the help and ideas.

_**Ch. 1: City of the Dead**_

The bustle of the Cairo airport was enough to make anyone sick. Bodies all around and stifling heat did not make the best conditions, especially for the young Latino woman sitting in the terminal.

Audrey Ramirez had been the first to arrive after receiving a letter from Vinny. He'd said to meet him and the others at the airport in Cairo, but apparently, the their planes had not come yet.

Sighing, she placed her head in her hands and waited.

Hours later, she felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped, turning only to see Dr. Joshua Sweet and the Parisian geologist, Gaetan Moliere.

"Hi guys," she murmured, running her arm across her forehead to keep the sweat from out of her eyes.

"Has anyone else gotten here, or are we the only ones since you?" asked the physician.

"Only you. Milo and Kida haven't come yet. I hope they get here soon; Vinny too. It's too hot," she whined.

Nodding, Sweet and Moliere sat beside her to wait. The quiet was unnerving, making Audrey more uncomfortable. Turning to them, she raised an eyebrow.

"Did Vinny ever tell either of you why he wants us in Egypt?"

"Non," replied Gaetan, "I asked Sweet ze same thing while we were on ze plane."

"Great," moaned Audrey.

"We're stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do and no air conditioner."

After another hour of Audrey's whining, Mole's sighing, and Sweet's groans, someone called out to them.

"Sweet, Audrey, Mole, how are you guys?" came the over-enthusiastic voice of Milo.

He and Kida strode over to them, setting their luggage down as they exchanged handshakes and hugs.

Walking to the front door, they saw Vinny drive up in a rather questionable looking van; one used for hauling military weapons and illegal immigrants.

"It took you long enough!" cried the Latino, scrambling for the door only to realize that there was no air conditioning.

"What'sa matter with her?" he asked, helping his friends with their luggage.

"Heat," came Sweet's steady reply.

Shaking his head, he helped the others in and climbed back into the driver's seat. Several hours later, they reached a large campsite. Nearby, they could hear the shouts of the laborers as they dug through the sands.

"Vinny! Anna's caught in the entrance to that new shaft we found yesterday. She can't move enough to get out," shouted a young man.

Sighing, the Italian beckoned the others to follow him as he made his way across the desert. A pair of legs was flailing about not far from them. Muffled curses could be heard as the group looked on.

Grabbing her legs, Vinny pulled with all his strength, trying to liberate the woman stuck inside.

"Milo, Sweet, come'a help me out."

Soon, the three men had budged the body out by a few inches, just enough for the woman to begin freeing herself.

Rising out of the shaft, the albino woman shook the dirt out of her hair and coughed.

"For the love of Mike! You should see it down there, Vincenzo. It's gorgeous."

Her blue eyes shot daggers at the man as she rose to her feet, brushing her clothes clean.

"And you nearly blew it all to Valhalla! Honestly, Vinny!" she shouted.

Grabbing a pickaxe and swinging it over her shoulder and into a leather sling on her back, she crossed her arms, scowling.

"So, are these the people you told me so much about? I suppose this will do," she spat, surveying the lot.

"Look, they're the best in the business. Besides, if Mr. Whitmore weren't funding this little escapade, you'd be out of a job."

"And so would you, Santorini. Come on, you all, I'll get you something to eat."

Milo shot the others a questionable look before reluctantly following the woman and Vinny to a large tent. Sitting around a large table, they were served a large plate of sandwiches and iced tea.

"My name is Anna Maria Victoria Gonzales Gay XIII. Yes, I am an albino. My country is none other than Mother Russia. My expertise includes Geology, Egyptology, Mythology, and cooking the best pot roast this side of the Great Sphinx. Vinny has told me much about you all and I hope that you might be able to help me with a little project of mine."

Her voice had become less harsh as she looked around the table, and Milo was now considering that they might be in for something worthwhile after all.

"If I may, Miss Gay, why would you need our help?" he questioned.

"Please, call me Anna. I know about your ascension to the throne in Atlantis. In fact, that is part of my problem. Have you ever heard of the City of the Dead?"

Her heart fell as she saw the plethora of shaking heads. Sighing, she began to wonder if Vinny had known what he was talking about.

"Ten thousand years ago, the city of Basheer was the heart of all trade in Egypt. It would not have been so successful if it were not for the Atlanteans and their technology. In fact, it was that technology that lead to the construction of the pyramids and the Sphinx, but I digress."

Drawing a breath, she brought out a piece of cloth. Unwrapping it, she produced a small crystal orb. Adorning its top was a clawed hand crafted from silver with Atlantean inscriptions covering it.

"Basheer was prosperous, until the gods became unhappy. You see, with their wealth, those that lived in the city became conceited. Power hungry, the pharaoh proclaimed that he was the true god and that all other gods were nothing but myth. Banning the worship of the old dieties and slaying the temple priests, he became the sole icon of the city. Angered, the gods came forth from the heavens and enacted vengeance, slaying all that worshipped the pharaoh. Virgins were sacrificed by the dozens in the temple to appease Ra and his minions. It was all for naught, though. One man, a half Egyptian, half Atlantean, was able to seal the gods away by sacrificing his own life. Ashzur Talmos was the eldest son of the pharaoh. Leading the gods to the temple, he used all of his power to imprison them in statues. The city supposedly sank during an earthquake following the imprisonment, sealing off the remaining survivor's fate."

Looking up, her eyes seemed to bore into Milo. The very thought of what she had said being even remotely true was enough for chills to run up the man's spine.

"Wait. Eef what you say ees true, do you sink zere would be no evidence of a tremor zat strong around ze world? Eef a tremor has enough magnitude to sink an entire city, eet would show in ze current formations we see today," argued the Parisian.

"An anomaly, though rare to occur on earth's terra, could have commenced. There is no reason to think it did not happen," snapped Anna.

"But zere must be some form of evidence; a shift in bedrock or some-sing. Carbon dating would confirm ze age of any irregular occurrence."

Growling, Anna slammed her fist on the table as she stood.

"Listen, you little French freak! I've had the soil around this orb carbon dated. The periods match the myth. There is plenty mythological evidence…"

"Mythological! Zat's my point! Eef it's mythological evidence, eet can't count!"

"Imbecile! Where do you think mythology comes from! Within all the lies, there is some truth! That's why I'm hiring you people! Ever since I was four years old, the only thing I ever wanted to do is dig up bodies here with a toothbrush! The City of the Dead could push back the timeline for Atlantis, as well as Egypt! This could be the find of the century! If you don't want the job, go back to your little mining gig in France and see how much they pay you to dig up worthless rocks! What I'm offering is far greater than a measly fifty francs per hour! What I'm offering is millions!"

Milo looked to Kida, then back to Anna.

"We'll help you. After all, this could be beneficial as far as the history of my people goes," spoke Kida.

Rising, the Atlantean queen stretched out her hand to the other woman.

"If it can help solve the forgotten mysteries of my people, then I will be most pleased to help in any way possible, Anna."

The albino smiled, taking her outstretched hand in a firm grip.

"Thank you. This orb is the only clue I have to finding the city thus far. I can't decipher it, but I was hoping you could."

Handing it to Milo and Kida, she turned to leave.

"You shall find your tents by the large fire pit. Dinner will be at seven 'o' clock, sharp. I hope you all find your quarters to your liking."

With that, she took her leave, leaving behind an intrigued team, a stunned Milo, and a very angry Moliere.


	2. Burning Souls Afire

Ch. 2: Burning Souls Afire

It hadn't taken Milo and his friends long to find their tents. The large canvas homes stood higher than those of the workers.

Once they had decided on whose was whose, Milo and Kida entered their tent to unpack. Milo began unrolling the cots while his wife began folding their clothes to place neatly into the large oak chest that sat to one side of the room.

"Do you think she speaks the truth, Milo? If she does, think of what could be discovered," the Atlantean said suddenly.

Looking up from the orb, Milo stared for a moment before turning his gaze back down to the sphere in his hands. Shrugging, he shook his head.

"I don't know. It's an odd story, but there's nothing to say that it's not true. The only thing that baffles me is that I've never seen the legend mentioned in any of the books I've read. I wish I could read it for myself."

Kida nodded as she opened another drawer. Gasping, she whirled around and beckoned Milo to her side. Rising from his cot, the linguist walked over and peered into the drawer. Inside was a small package with a note addressed to the two.

"It's from Mr. Whitmore," she whispered, picking up the note.

"Jiminy Christmas! Look at this, Kida!" cried Milo, unwrapping the parcel.

Inside was a thick tome. It looked over a thousand years old, it's thick, leather-bound spine cracked and musty. When opened, the pages revealed themselves to be just as yellowed and aged. Thick lettering and sketches took up many of the pages while the rest were a series of old maps.

"He says that this book was found in a British museum. It was auctioned off to him not too long ago. He says it might help with the search," the queen murmured.

"Help? How could it help? This is nothing more than a traveler's journal. The maps are outdated as well."

"So, I see you've found the little gift he left for you, eh?"

The two jumped and turned to see Anna leaning against the main support beam, arms crossed and a gleam in her eyes.

"Those are the maps of ancient Egypt; a compilation of the lost articles. The original maps were burned in the year 1313, when the study of the ancients was banned. Before then, the priests of the temples copied them and hid the book so it would never reach the flames. In 1903, Lyle Rourke led an expidition to the Valley of the Kings. Two years afterward, he made a return expidition, thus, the tome was found. Immediately, he contacted a British museum, and so the book was handed over to them."

Sighing, she strode to the cot and seated herself, taking a longing look at the book.

"The people of this country have tried for years to get the British and French governments to return what has been taken. I trust you with this book, Mr. Thatch. Had Mr. Whitmore not obtained it for us, we would still be battling for it."

Raising her head a bit, she looked out of the flap at the workers rushing to and fro, preparing the fire.

"Dinner will be soon and will be followed up by our nightly activities. Do join us and please enjoy your stay."

With that, the young woman left to return to her work. Milo and Kida stared as she left. The woman was an enigma.

* * *

Dusk had settled in and the sky had turned crimson with the sun's waning light. Dinner had been served nearly an hour ago and the festivities had just begun. 

"Ladies and gentlemen," shouted a young Egyptian man, "the time is now! Tonight's competitors are as follows!"

He stopped breifly, allowing another worker to relate to the others what he'd said, for the man was fluent in English, but most of those around the pit didn't understand.

"Tonight, our leader, Miss Anna, competes with the man known for his flaming soul and those he sets afire with his heart. I give you, Zahalm!"

A tall, well-built man in his mid twenties strutted out from one of the tents, smiling and waving to his adoring fans. His long black hair was pulled into a ponytail, his tanned face was clean-shaven.

"Miss Anna, you have no chance!" he called to the woman standing opposite to him.

"I promise I won't hurt you too badly," she retorted.

They both stepped towards the announcer, baring their teeth as they did so. Meanwhile, the team looked on with mild interest.

"Are they about to...spar?" questioned Milo, shifting his weight forward as he watched.

Vinny nodded, looking back out at the two and rolling his eyes slightly.

"Ya. Someone spars ev'ry night. Once you get to the top, you gotta spar with Anna. So far, no one's beaten her. She's-ah like an enigma...wrapped in a box...shrouded in-ah myst'ry..."

Nods of agreement were given by all, even Gaetan. The most profuse nods were given by Audrey, who had been quiet around Anna ever since they'd arrived. Just as she was about to speak, Vinny cut in.

"...wrapped in a burrito...around a taco, ya' know?"

"But does she not use a spear? A warrior is lost in battle without their weapon."

Vinny smiled, shaking his head.

"Watch an' you'll see."

By now, Anna and Zahalm had been told to choose their weapons. Zahalm held a small flamethrower in one hand and a butcher knife in the other. Anna stood in a defensive position, clutching her pickaxe.

On the man's count, the two rushed at eachother, Anna giving Zahalm a quick strike on the back with the blunt side of her pickaxe. The man countered with a short burst of flames and a swipe with his knife before stopping and backing up, his eyes narrowing as he studied the woman. She was testing him; seeing just how strong he really was, but he would not fall for that so easily.

"Is this a staring contest, or a duel?" he called out.

Anna's grip tightened. She knew the keys of strategic sparring. All one had to do is out-maneuver one's opponent to wear them down and leave an opening. This was easier said than done, though, for the Egyptologist had a very little attention span if it did not involve her prime interests. She would have to be patient.

Zahalm, by now, had retrieved a bottle from his belt. Rushing at her, it struck her chest, instantly shattering and drenching her in liquid.

"Now that I have let you marinade, let us turn up the heat!" he shouted, whirling around and blasting at her with his flamethrower.

As her clothes began to catch flames, Anna threw herself on the ground, kicking up dust to choke the fire until it was extinguished. Unable to see through the cloud, Zahalm was left as an open target. Taking this as her chance, she struck him with all her force below his knees with a blunt end, causing him to collapse in defeat.

"The victor; Anna!" cried the announcer from earlier.

Taking a bow, the woman turned to face Zahalm. Allowing him her outstretched hand, she helped him up.

"You are alright, Zahalm?"

"Yes, Miss Anna. Thank you for the fight. I am pleased with my performance, no matter what the outcome."

The albino smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"As you should be, my friend. Rest well this night, for tommorrow starts a new adventure."

Turning, she made her way through the crowd to where Vinny and his friends waited. Most were in awe, except for Mole, who had voiced earlier on that he would love to see the cook skewer the woman. This, however, had earned him many slaps and punches, resulting in bruises that would not be so easily forgotten.

"Anna, that was amazing! How do you keep your balance? Where did you learn how to do that? Is it some ancient art form of self-defense? Could you..."

"Slow down, Mr. Thatch," she laughed, hoping to tame his barrage of questions.

"Miss Anna, you are a true warrior at heart. That was a beautiful match," came Kida's quiet voice.

"Thank you. As for your questions, I taught myself at a young age to use my tools to defend myself. Although I took many martial arts classes, I prefer my own style. As for balance, I've learned how to apply my body weight to the earth's surface to calculate the force of my attacks. Only in extreme emergencies do I use the blades, but I do have a style for those as well, if you'd care to watch a bit," she said, smiling and pointing back toward her tent.

There was a murmur of agreement from all but the Parisian, but Sweet managed to drag him along as they followed Anna back to a large tent. Outside of it stood several straw targets.

Seating themselves on the ground, the team watched as the Russian approached her 'rivals', twirling the axe between her fingers like a baton.

"The wood is firm, but hollow. The blades are strong, but light. Earth has her balance, and we must all follow her example, for she is the force that drives our lives forward. Once you accept her as a provider, you may learn to obtain her power. This is the way of a warrior."

She began to twirl it harder and faster, until the blades were nothing but blurs. Placing weight on her right foot behind her, she sprang forth, raising the axe above her head and bringing it down upon the first target, which immediately flew to pieces. Without stopping, she switched hands and forced her body into a spin, elimenating two more targets.

Her concentration seemed unbroken as she fell each and every mark, until none stood. Abruptly stopping the axe, she swung it back in its sling and allowed her eyes to fall onto the onlooking members of what would soon be her crew.

Even Gaetan was speechless as they once again stared, except for Vinny, who was used to this by now. He'd seen her practice at night in the frightful cold. He knew her dedication was unmatched, but he'd had no way to describe her obsession to his partners.

"Well, I think that will do for tonight. We had all better get some rest while we can. I'd like to plan some routes tommorrow if you're up to it, Milo. Perhaps if we rise at dawn, we could begin a primary search by noon."

"Sure, but how will we know what time to get up? None of us has stayed here long enough to adapt to your time frame."

"I'll put a call in through Mimi. She'll make sure you get a wake-up call. Good evening, everyone."

With that, she walked into the tent, closing the flap behind her, and praying that she would get even the slightest bit of sleep. Although she'd worked out much energy during the spar and training field, she could still feel excitement welling up inside her chest. Tommorrow, they would begin a primary search for the fabled City of the Dead. Tommorrow, the would begin a quest she had always dreamed of. Tommorrow, they would begin their own legend.

Flopping down on her cot, she pulled the sheet up to her chin, rolling onto her side and slipping her arm under her pillow. Fatigue was gaining quickly, and soon she would be out for good.

As Milo and Kida bid a good night to the others, the king couldn't help but hear Mole muttering under his breath as he skulked away to his tent.

"Stupide girl...sinks she can make a fool of me. We'll see who gets ze last laugh... **_Elle n'a pas entendu le dernier de Gaetan Moliere, le plus grand géologue que ce monde jamais a su._**"

Turning to the Frenchman, he jogged up beside him and lowered his voice.

"Hey, give Anna a chance, alright? Even though you two got off with a bad start, it dosen't mean you can't be friends. Just try to be friendly at breakfast tommorrow, okay?"

"Oui..."

"Thanks, Mole."

With that, Milo turned and headed back to Kida and their tent, leaving the older man to think for a bit.

'I'd ra-ser be forced to bathe again zan be nice to zat obnoxious wench. Ah well, as zey say, you shouldn't go to bed angry,' he thought, jumping into a rather large hole he'd dug inside his tent.

**Well, that was Chapter Two! We sincerely hope you enjoyed it. As for the French typed in bold italics, here's the translation: "She hasn't heard the last from Gaetan Moliere, greatest geologist this world has ever known."**

**Free translations off of the Internet rock! Thanks for the Vinny rant, Aquarian Wolf. Gotta love the way he goes on and on! R&R people!**


	3. Le Commencement

**_Chapter 3: Le Commencement_**

Anna spent a restless night tossing and turning in her cot. Thoughts and dreams drifted through her mind as she lay, trying to still her body. Her heart beat rapidly as she futilly tried to think of soothing things that would easily put her to complete sleep, but she would become bored with any thought other than those of the dead city.

Morning drew quickly, and the young woman felt tired as she rose. Rubbing her weary eyes, she threw on the clothes she'd worn the day before and poked her head out of the tent.

The sun had barely risen, but already the camp was slowly buzzing with activity. Smoke curled into the crimson sky as Zahalm prepared breakfast while the morning guards said their thanks to those that had taken the night shift. Workers began to emerge from their tents, immediately heading for the tombs they'd uncovered the week before. As they worked to clear the entrances of sand before their morning meal, Anna smiled a bit.

"Oh dear, I forgot to tell Mimi about our guests. I'd better get on it," she murmured to herself, heading towards Zahalm and his outdoor kitchen.

Upon seeing his employer, the Egyptian man grinned, continuing to flip the griddle cakes he'd prepared. Though she should have been used to seeing him in a frilly apron, Anna had to shake herself to clear out any...undesirable thoughts.

"Good morning, Miss Anna. Are you well today?" came his laughing voice.

"Yes, thank you. Have you seen Mimi this morning? I need her to send a wake-up call to our guests and she's already left her tent."

Standing back from the flames a bit, Zahalm scratched his chin for a moment. Mimi was not a social person by any means, so it was highly unlikely that she'd be anywhere near the workers. She was an odd woman for sure, but she did her job well, so no one really complained.

"I haven't seen her this morning, but you could try her office. She mentioned last night that there were some wires on the fritz and she wanted to fix them pretty early. Perhaps she's getting a head start," he said, pushing up his sunglasses.

"Perhaps. Thank you, Zahalm. I'll be expecting something good this morning," replied the albino, turning to face the group of tents to the south.

"As always, Miss Anna. You know how things are."

"Right. As always. Carry on."

Although the sun was not even fully over the horizon, the heat was already taking its toll on her as she trotted towards the tent Mimi used as an office. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved a pair of sunglasses and set them on the bridge of her nose. There were few in the world as sensitive to light as she, but as long as she had protective eye-wear and the perpetual plaster of dirt and grime covering her skin, she remained perfectly fine.

"Mimi, are you here?" she asked, pulling the flap back.

Among the clutter of wires and machines, she saw the figure of a woman in her early twenties down on the floor studying some rather sticky looking strands of...something.

"Mimi?"

The Norwegian woman raised her head, dark eyes focusing on Anna. Her vest and shirt were covered with the same yellowed substance as the supposed wires. Her gloves were thick with the stuff, and her scowl said 'No mercy'.

"He got cheese on the wires... Cheese!"

"Cheese?"

"Yes, that's what I said. Cheese! It's not a problem, though. Just get me some hairspray, ice, a toothpick, and a jar of peanut butter and I can fix it."

Anna blinked, but said nothing and simply headed back to the kitchen to retrieve the nessecary equipment. Once back, she handed the items to Mimi and stood back as she watched the woman work.

Spraying the hair product on the cheese, the girl rubbed down the offending dairy product with ice before tediously chipping it away with the toothpick.

"Um...What was the peanut butter for?"

"I'm hungry, so I needed it to spread on some crackers. This should only take an hour or so, but what did you need, Boss?"

Blinking again, Anna shook off the feeling that she employed the most dense human being on the earth and decided to just answer her question.

"I need you to put in a wake-up call to Section 5 in about four minutes. Think you can handle it?"

"No problem. I've set up the new speaker systems in those tents. I needed some guinea pigs to try them out anyway. We'll see how they like the static call."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'll take your word for it. I'll see you at breakfast."

Turning, she bolted from the tent, hoping to high heaven that the girl knew what she was doing.

**_

* * *

Milo twitched in his sleep, a low and faint buzzing ringing in his ears. Still not awake, he rolled over and snorted lightly. _**

The buzzing became louder, more persistant as time wore on. Audrey groaned as she slammed a pillow over her ears and tried to drown it out, but to no avail. The buzzing wouldn't stop.

Sweet was becoming irritated. Half awake, he opened his groggy eyes until he could just make out his bedside table, but he could make out nothing that could emit such a noise.

Gaetan was in spastic fits, twitching every few seconds in his sleep. His advanced hearing allowed the noise to drive him nuts as he lay in his hole. Clawing at the sides of it, he opened his eyes wide, trying to locate the cause. Throwing his Teddy Mole over one ear and lying the other perfectly square to the ground, he tried to go back to sleep.

"Hei, dette er Mimi å taling. De vil all bedre blir opp før jeg stab De all til død med en plast spork!"

There was a sudden silence, then a murmur in the back ground. By now, the team was mostly awake, almost interested in what was being said.

"What do you mean, 'They don't speak Norwegian'? Doesn't everyone? Whatever...I'll repeat it... Stupid English... Hello, this is Mimi speaking. You'd all better get up before I stab you all to death with a plastic spork! I mean it, too! I don't care if you don't speak Norwegian! A spork is a spork, you got that! Now get out of bed you lazy English speaking people!" the high pitched voice shouted.

**_

* * *

Once they'd all gathered around the pit, Milo surveyed his friends. He wondered if they had all heard the same...rather odd, broadcast that morning, and by the looks of it, they had._**

Sweet and Audrey seemed as though they'd go face down in their plates and Gaetan was rubbing his ears madly. Milo, himself, had a rather nasty headache and Kida had disposed of the speaker when she found out that it was the source of the noise.

Anna bounced up to them, plate piled with food and hair pulled back. Setting herself between Milo and Vinny, she turned to the Italian and smiled apologetically.

"You like the new...alarm?"

Shaking his head slightly, he chewed on a piece of sausage and thought.

"Well, it could'a been worse. Mimi angry this mornin'?"

"Yeah. Apparently, Zahalm got cheese on her wires when he brought her some fondue. I haven't seen either of them since after the broadcast."

Milo and the others were leaning over by now, staring at Anna. That was the Mimi she'd mentioned last night?

Upon seeing their looks, she grinned sheepishly, hanging her head a bit. How could she explain Mimi to a bunch of people who'd never dealt with 'special' Norwegians before. After all, Mimi was a genius with communications equipment, but anything else, she was far less tactful.

As if the gods understood her plight, Zahalm rushed by screaming bloody murder, peanut butter covering his pink apron. Following at his heels was Mimi, cursing like a madwoman in her native tongue and weilding her jar of chunky Peter Pan goodness.

"Gods woman, what did I do?"

"Min ledningsfremføring! De fått ost på min ledningsfremføring!"

"What? You forget I am Egyptian!" he shouted, thick accent lingering in the air.

"My wires! You got cheese on my wires! Now you suffer!"

The group of diners watched as the two ran by before turning their stares back to Anna.

"Mimi... She's very good at what she does. She's just a little...eccentric."

There was a residual nod as they continued to eat while screams were heard far to the east. Perhaps later on, they'd have the honor of meeting the girl in person instead of watching her trying to kill a man with a jar of peanut butter and some saltines.

"So Anna, have you decided where we should start?" queried Milo after they'd finished their meal.

He, Anna, and the others had grouped around the book of old maps while the Russian struggled with a more modern map.

"Well, I think there would be promise in the ruins to the north. There were some caves there until the mid- eighteen sixties. Perhaps if we excavate them, we could find something useful. After all, they were mentioned as being a key source of mineral deposits for the ancient civilizations."

"How will we find these caves, Miss Anna? After all, the map you hold there does not mention them," Kida said.

"This is why I asked Mr. Thatch here in the first place. I can't read maps. I can read the sky; I can read the earth. I can even read my Uncle Will's diary, and that's pretty hard considering his...sexuality and tendencies to effeminite handwriting, but I can't read maps," Anna replied, thrusting the map at Milo.

"Well, I suppose I could triangulate the coordinates. It would take about an hour, but it's possible."

"Great! I'll go find Zahalm and Mimi. After all, we'll need them if we have to go too deep," she said, a shiver of excitement visible to the others.

As she turned to leave, Milo gave Gaetan a nudge. The Parisian looked up grimly, knowing in his heart that the scholar was about to ask him to do something he really didn't want to. Something almost assuredly pretaining to the albino bouncing off in the distance.

"Why don't you go help her? After all, I'd worry about that Mimi woman. If she's trying to kill a guy with peanut butter, Anna could get into trouble," he hissed in the geologist's ear.

"Why me? Can't you ask Vinny or Audrey? Zey could keep up wees her better."

"Now, Mole," glared Milo before returning to the maps, becoming completely lost in them.

Sighing in defeat, Mole trotted in Anna's direction, trying to keep up with her long gate.

"Would you like some help, Miss Anna?" he called.

Stopping short, she looked back, waiting for him to catch up. Her blue eyes gave him a hard glare, but her sneer was replaced by a half-smile.

"Well, at least you aren't yelling at me. Anyway, yeah, I could use some help. Mimi's pretty fast, but she tires easily. I figure they're somewhere near the laborers' camp."

They walked in silence for a few moments. It was rather tense, Anna taking side-glances at Gaetan every so often, and he doing the same. Finally, to break the silence, he spoke.

"I still sink your idea ees preposterous..." he mumbled.

"I still think you're a jerk," she spat.

Gaetan growled, but said nothing more until they came to the workers' campsite. The small tents were huddled closely together, but the sounds of panting could be heard close by. Upon further inspection, they found both Zahalm and Mimi collapsed on the ground between the canvas make-shift homes.

"My...wires... I...kill..you," came Mimi's exhausted pants.

Lifting one of the flaps back, they were met with a sight only one could imagine. Mimi was straddling Zahalm's back, his face in the dirt. He was covered with peanut butter, saltines stuck all over him. Anna saw a bit of blood trickling down his arm where a spork had been jabbed into it.

"Mimi, get off of him! C'mere, you. You'll have to help me carry her back," she snapped at Moliere.

About to protest, he found her jerking him into the tent, slinging Mimi into his arms.

"Carry her and I'll get Zahalm."

"Why should I 'ave to carry 'er?" he argued.

Anna glared down at him as she hoisted Zahalm onto her shoulders.

"Because, she weighs one hundred and thirty pounds. Unless you'd rather lug a hundred and eighty-five, you'll keep your mouth shut."

It took the two about twenty minutes to make their way through the labrynth of tents and back to the others. Zahalm had, in Sweet's opinion, suffered little damage. Mimi was quite small, unable to put too much force into her attacks.

The Norwegian woman had taken little as well. She'd become dilerious, though, and honestly thought that her Chinese Crested, Mr. Fluffs, was driving a bus to London. Anna spoke with little concern, relating that the communications officer was prone to such rants in the harsh heat.

Once they'd convinced her that Mr. Fluffs would return, they left the medical tent, Anna commenting on how much could have gone wrong.

"Mimi is not a bad person, nor does she mean to be rude. She...was quite wealthy, though, and was never disciplined much. If she gets angry, she dosen't know how to talk it out."

"I hope she will not become angered on our trip," piped Kida.

"So do I. The last time she attacked Zahalm, he came out with a broken rib and she couldn't use her hands for a week," Anna muttered.

Sweet cocked his head in question, wondering how such a burly man as the cook could have gotten a broken rib from such a frail-looking woman.

As if reading his mind, the albino shrugged.

"He somehow managed to get her hands into some boiling grease. She screamed, shoved the vat at him, and he ran into a wall trying to get away. They may not be the nicest people in the world, but they do their jobs well."

Making their way back to the tent where Milo was still working, the group turned silent. Sweet understood what such misfits could do to benifit their expedition. Mole, however, harboured doubts. Not only was this woman insane, but she employed psychotic Norwegians and Egyptians. How could such people be any aid to them at all?

"Have you made any progress, Milo? Mimi and Zahalm will be fine in a few hours anyway," Anna said offhandedly.

Looking up from the maps, the linguist smiled, pushing his gargantuan glasses back into place.

"That's great! I think I have most of this done. There are a few roads in that direction, but not close enough to be of much use. Once we reach the spot I marked here," he said, jutting a finger on the present day map, "we'll have to venture off of the path. Is that alright?"

"Of course! We'll start out tonight!" she cried.

"Why tonight?" questioned Audrey, taking a seat at the table.

The young latina had been checking over the equipment vehicles all morning, preping them for a rugged trip. Many times she'd had to scream at the other mechanics, but she'd become accustomed to their...different ways of thinking. She'd worked out a compromise with the young man that had headed the guild, allowing him to work on the crew's vehicle while she took those that hauled the machinery.

"It's cold in the evenings. This keeps snakes and other dangerous creatures from becoming active. Also," she pointed at her face, "I never work in the day unless it's in a shaft. I burn easily, and I can't allow myself to become sick or blistered."

Voting to sleep for the remainder of the afternoon and leave at dusk, the team departed. Moliere lingered behind, hating to ask Anna anything, but he knew that if he stayed in this burning wasteland, he might as well.

"Zat crazy Mimi woman won't be waking us up, will she?" he grunted.

Anna smiled behind clenched teeth, an evil twinkle in her eye.

"Oh no... I will!" she yelled, turning on her heel and storming off.

The geologist shrugged and made his way back to his tent. She had to be joking when she said that, right?

**Well, this has been chapter three: The Beginning. The battle is now on between Anna and Mole. Only time will tell who wins. Norwegian is long when you translate from English... Hope you enjoyed it. R&R!**


	4. Heart of Steel

**_Ch. 4: Heart of Steel_**

**Well, this is Chapter 4 of Sands of Time. Not much to say except I hope you enjoy it!**

She didn't know if it was the sound of the engine purring underneath the hood of the truck, or if it was the setting sun on a backdrop of blood red that reminded her of her true love. She fancied neither as an explanation, but Anna knew that one way or another, she would have to come to terms with the reason they drove her on.

They'd left camp only fifteen minutes ago, gear and mechanisms ready to help do their work. Her heart had pounded in her ears when she climbed into the passenger side of the cab, but her excitement was waning. Now, she simply hung her head out the window, watching the dunes pass by, a dreamy glaze over her eyes.

She praised the gods that Mimi had decided to drive as they followed Vinny, Kida, and Milo. The Norwegian woman knew when to leave her alone, and right now, she needed to let her mind wander back into the past.

In the truck behind them, Zahalm carried the rest of the team. Audrey sat in the passenger seat while Sweet and Moliere took the back. None of them enjoyed the ride, the roads were yet to be worn completely down, so every rut, hole, and stone was felt as they jounced on behind the others.

"Zahalm...I don't wanna sound rude, but is there something wrong with Anna? She's hanging her head out the window like she'll just jump or something," said Audrey, turning to the Egyptian.

"Miss Anna is probably in deep thought. She's not had what you might call a desirable life."

"What do you mean? I probably shouldn't ask, but..."

Zahalm smiled, dark brown eyes cutting to her. He saw the glint of curiosity in her; he knew it would need to be satisfied.

"There is no need to say such things, Audrey. Anna's mother died when she was four. Her father was a drunkard, and living in the conditions they did in Russia, I'm suprised she didn't die as well."

He took a sharp turn, avoiding a rather large sidewinder before continuing.

"Barkovich never cared for his daughter. He never provided her with clothing or food. He never even so much as gave her a blanket to keep her warm during the winter. He swore that he had no daughter and that she was the bastard child of another man. All essential things were provided by her grandfather and her uncle on his side. They were the ones to raise her during the war."

"Her grandfather was a wealthy man, proud of his first son who'd gone into the practice of medicine. Barkovich was jealous of the love his father had for his brother, but he had no ambition of his own to out do him. Anna became close to her uncle and grandfather, and they paid to send her to the best of schools and academies."

"When Anna came to the age of sixteen, she was sent to a superb academy to learn more about Egyptology. She'd shown much interest in the subject early on, but until then, there were no true ways to study it at her grade level. She and Barkovich had a row about it a week before she was to leave and she wasn't seen for a month. When confronted by his father and brother, Barkovich's temper flared. After being asked why he would deprive his only daughter of an education, he shouted that he had no daughter and that if Anna was his child, he would not have raped her."

There was a still silence that hung in the air. Audrey's eyes were wide with shock while the two in the back sat slack-jawed. Zahalm glanced at them, then returned his attention to the road.

"When they found out about this, the two took custody of her and sent her to the academy. When she returned, she begged them to let her learn self-defense, so her grandfather hired a tutor. Anna became fascinated with weapons and how to turn ordinary objects into things she could use to kill a man. That was when she learned how to weild her tools."

"When her grandfather passed on, he left her a large sum of money for inheiritance; money that might have gone to her father had he not died a mysterious...brutal death. She won't admit to it, but I have a feeling she had something to do with it. Anyhow, she left that money in the care of her uncle and traveled around the globe, changing her last name to Gay XIII. Keeping with tradition, she held on to the last names of all her ex-husbands, thus the extended name. She claims now that men don't matter to her anymore; that her true love is her work," he finished.

Audrey stared up at the large man for a moment before turning back to face the road. All of a sudden, the oddity of her employer seemed to make sense. Any woman would be strange after something like that, no doubt about it.

"If you tell her I told you this, I'll deny it."

"Of course I won't! It's just...wow..."

"Watch her when she digs. The fury and vigor that she puts into it...is unnatural. She shouldn't have to, you know?"

The latina nodded. Looking out of the window, she realized they'd left the road some time ago. Up ahead, Vinny had pulled to a stop in front of a cliff-like wall of rock.

**

* * *

Anna felt the truck jolt under her, sending her flying into the present. Eyes traveling to the wall, her somber mood disappated. Hopping out of the cab, she sprinted over to Milo, Vinny, and Kida.**

"Is this it? Is this where the entrance should be?"

"From what the book and the new maps say, this is the place. You said there was a mineral deposit inside there that they used?

"Yes. If you pay the absurd amount of attention I do, you'd see that they used wet-chemistry to create their make-up. I've reason to believe this was a key part of their industry," she said, twitching.

With that, she ran towards the face of the wall, ripping the gloves from her hands and running them over the cold, hard surface of the stone.

Vinny simply shook his head, taking out a match and placing it between his lips.

"She's got an energy level only rivaled by a toddler on a sugar cookie high," he sighed.

Audrey watched all of these goings on, wondering how a woman with a heart of steel could seem so loving to a rock. Shrugging, she began to help the few workers they'd brought unload the equipment.

To the suprise of almost everyone, Anna did not argue when Mole shouted that he'd found where the entrance had stood. Instead, she simply drew her axe and took a good, hard swing at the spot. When a bit of the rock crumbled away, she shrugged and walked away, shouting in Egyptian to the workers.

It was quite late before they broke through the barrier and into the main cavern of the mine. Anna had warned them not to enter immediately, the stale air being a deadly, caustic substance to breath. Once she deemed it safe, the team ventured into the the large room.

The dank air stung their noses, sending Audrey, Milo, Kida, and Sweet into coughing fits. Vinny had grown used to tomb-opening, as had Moliere and Anna. Once the others had become accustomed to the air, they proceeded to assist Vinny in dragging Mole deeper into the structure, rather than leave him spending the rest of the evening cataloging every bit of ore that had been dropped centuries ago.

"But...zey are so beautiful! Please, just a few more minutes!" he begged as they took him by the waist.

After carefully searching through the tunnels, they came to an opening that had collapsed at some point. Leaning into the lamplight, Anna ran her hands over the large boulder-like rocks that blocked their path.

Behind her, the others gaped at the long scars running along her arms, for it was the first time they'd seen the flaws.

Feeling their eyes on her, the albino shrugged and turned to face them.

"Things happen. Now, as for this rock, it will have to be removed. The ceiling may look as though it caved in, but if you look closely, you'll see that it was carved to seem that way. These rocks were put here to keep others out. It was probably sealed to keep robbers out of their mines," she stated matter-of-factly.

Removing the stones took quite some time. Most of the machines Moliere had brought were much too large to fit inside the tunnel, so most of the work was done by hand and axe. By the time the last stone was carted away, half of the team was worn out completely.

"Anna, I'm tired! Can't we rest some? Besides, I'm hungry," whined Mimi.

"Oh, you're hungry, and yet you try to kill me with crackers and peanut butter? You deserve nothing, you piece of Norwegian scum!" cried Zahalm.

"How dare you!"

"Both of you shut your mouths! We need to keep moving. That means no breaks," Anna snapped.

Grabbing a torch, she led them into the dark room. None could see but maybe three feet in front of them, so when Audrey found an oil-fill route, Anna was encouraged to light it.

Fire ran through the stone route at a speed no one could describe. It illuminated their surroundings, disappointing them greatly when the room was discovered as nothing more than a round branch off of the main mines. There was, however, a point of interest.

Lying on the floor was a large body, sprawled out as though it were sleeping. Peering closer, Anna pointed to the moving chest of the beast, for this was certainly no human. No, instead it bore the body of a lion with large wings at either side. The head was obscured from view by the long black locks that fell into the face.

"How could something live down here so long with no air, food, or water?" whispered Milo.

"I could hazard a guess that it got plenty of food, Mr. Thatch," Zahalm said quietly, pointing to a pile of human bones.

The linguist's stomach tightened before expelling his earlier dinner. Wrapping her arms around his waist, Kida drug him closer to the back wall.

"Carrots! Why is it always carrots? I don't even eat carrots!" he cried.

"Perhaps this creature is like our leviathan. Could it not be possible that our ancestors gave your people the technology to create one?" she questioned the large chef.

"It's possible, but what is it, Anna?"

The Russian woman's face paled as she slowly backed away from the creature, taking light steps as she did so.

"Um...Zahalm, Mimi, Vinny, I just wanted to tell you guys that I love you very much...like family. If anything happens, I just want you to know that, okay?"

"What is it, Anna?" Zahalm's voice became more urgent.

"We're in the presence of the almighty sphinx. Wether it be truly living, a leviathan, or even half and half...we are so screwed," she murmured.

The body twitched fitfully, the head rising from the floor. Shaking the mane of black hair from its face, the sphinx revealed it's head to be that of a young woman. Her piercing yellow eyes scanned the room around her.

"I suppose the masters have sent more food..." it murmured, rising and daintily making its way to the door.

With a swift kick, several large rocks came crashing down from the ceiling, effectively blocking the way, although not completely.

"Shall we follow tradition or cut to the chase?" she asked curiously.

There was a momentary stunned silence followed by Anna's approaching the beast. Her hands trembled as she clutched her axe, desperatly hoping no one would do anything stupid.

"T..tradition is a good thing, miss."

"Then tradition we will uphold. I will give you three riddles. Solve them all correctly, and you will live," the beast replied.

Anna nodded her head vigorously, motioning to the others to come closer.

"Riddle one: Born at the same time as the earth, destined to live as long as the world, and yet it is never five weeks old."

Anna stared, wide-eyed. Her mind was drawing a complete blank as she stood there, repeating the riddle.

"There were many things born at the same time as the earth, but if that is true, how could it not even be five weeks old?" she murmured.

The sphinx swished her tail impatiently, narrowing her eyes.

"Time is running out, mortal."

Anna's eyes suddenly lit as it came to her. It was not age the beast mentioned, but length of time it appeared!

"The moon! Born at the same time as the earth, destined to live as long as the world, yet it's never five weeks old! The moon!"

The sphinx sneered, but nodded in approval.

"Very good. Riddle two: It is always before you, for you control it, yet do not see it."

"Oh, that's messed up! Can I call a conference on this one?"

"If you wish..."

Anna ran to the others, huddling with them to come up with a suitable answer.

"Just so you realize the importance of answering correctly, if I don't, she'll eat us," the albino whispered.

"Could it be fate?" queried Sweet.

"It might, but I doubt it. You can control fate, but you can also see signs of it when it happens. My philosophy teacher taught me that," piped Mimi.

"What can't we see signs of, but control before our very own eyes?" muttered Zahalm.

"Well, I don' know what'da answer could be, but the future's lookin' bleak," said Vinny, taking out another match to chew on.

"That's it," cried Anna, "Vinny, you're a genius!"

"I try..."

Returning to the sphinx, Anna gave her answer to the rigid creature.

"Perhaps you aren't as brainless as you look. Last riddle: I cannot be seen, cannot be felt; cannot be heard, cannot be smelt. I lie behind stars and under hills, and empty holes I fill. I came first and follow after, I end life and kill laughter. What am I?"

"Can I...?"

"No. You must answer this with no help."

"Damn! What am I supposed to do now?"

"Human, your heart seems to be an empty hole. You seem to regret everything. Why not give up now?"

Anna turned her gaze to the sphinx's golden eyes again. They seemed hard, heartless. She found herself becoming lost in those eyes until all around her became black.

"Darkness... You are darkness," she murmured.

The sphinx jumped in suprise, causing Anna to come back to reality.

"Well done, human. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meal to attend to," it purred, brushing past her and towards the others.

"Wait a minute! You said if I answered them correctly, we'd live!"

The beast turned back to her, grinning insanely.

"I said you would live. I never promised anyone anything about this lot," she replied.

**w00t! Another chapter done! I thought I'd leave you all with a cliffy since I'm just mean that way. Hope you enjoyed it and keep a lookout for chapter five! Phwee! Riddles from and They are in no way mine and I do not take credit for them.**


	5. Darkness

Ch. 5: Darkness

**_Well happy people, this is chapter five of Sands of Time. Now, I've taken the time to review my previous chapters to come to the conclusion that Anna is a Mary-Sue, but I don't really care all that much. Mary-Sue's can be fun, and that's what fanfiction is all about, am I right? So please, excuse the mess if you don't like Mary-Sue characters, but this fic has been stuck in my head for a while, so I'm using it as a creative outlet, m'kay? Same goes for Shattered Glass, Hellsing fans._**

Anna stared as the Sphinx bounded toward her group of co-workers. Many things ran through her mind while she stood, rooted to the spot: fear, anxiety, hope that the Parisian would go first, and the sudden realization that this might be the end of her journey. It was that thought that broke the camel's back, or something to that effect, for Anna was not profoundly accurate with her analogies and could care less at the moment. That was her team about to be eaten, and if Whitmore found out the reason, the albino would be held responsible and possibly jailed.

'Yeah right. Like anyone would believe that my team got eaten by a Sphinx/Leviathan thing,' she thought sourly.

Now, one must realize that these thoughts took place in a mere matter of seconds, for the team was still only in minor peril as far as Anna was concerned.

"What are you people standing there for? Do something before you all get eaten, you bunch of morons!" she shouted.

The others took heed and scattered, hoping to high heaven that some miraculous event would occur to save them. This, however, would not happen in all actuality, leaving them as kitty food for our little friend.

The Sphinx landed squarely where the crew had previously stood, a look of disdain crossing her face as she turned to face Anna.

"You've made your last mistake, human. Why are these pathetic underlings worth your life anyway?" the creature questioned.

"Because they're _my_ pathetic underlings!"

Lunging at the beast, she took a furious swipe at it with her axe. The sound of scraping metal met her ears as she was thrust away by the creature's mighty paw.

Anna lay in pain, her ribs screaming in protest as she tried to move. Her back was bleeding heavily from contact with the great claws, but this was not what worried the woman. Tilting her head out of the dirt, she watched the others try to fend it off in vain, only to be dealt the same type of damage as she. The Sphinx was, at least, half mechanical. With that in mind, she was sure that physical damage would be impossible, at least from their standing point.

She watched as the Parisian was struck down as he tried desperately to claw his way out of the cavern. It did not move her, for she cared more for Vinny, Mimi, and Zahalm. She didn't understand why she was so impassive when it came down to him, and she'd not the attention span to learn his name when they first met, but she supposed it wouldn't matter after this anyhow. Somehow, it seemed almost sad to watch him die, but she noticed the creature turning away.

'Probably just didn't want him to make a way out,' she thought tiredly.

Straining to keep her wandering mind focused, she heard Mimi's high-pitched screams from one side of the room. Fearing for the girl, she slowly and painfully rose from her resting spot and turned to face the opposite wall.

Mimi was pounding on the beast, trying to lure its attention away from Zahalm. The man was on his knees, blood pooling around them as it spurted from a deep chest wound. The Sphinx, however, was not distracted by Mimi's blows and cries and had already turned to finish its job.

"Zahalm, if you die... I'll kill you! I don't know how, but I'll kill you! Don't you dare die!" the Norwegian shrieked.

Limping behind the Sphinx, Anna made a half-hearted swipe at the leg, throwing it off balance for a moment in hopes of getting Mimi's attention.

"Get him away from here, Mimi. Get him through that pass. Mimi! I said, do it now!"

The woman was shaking, but nodded in understanding as she began to drag the man toward the entrance, sobbing and spitting in the direction of their attacker.

By now, the Sphinx had recovered from the blow and began rising from the floor, a look of hatred burning in her ebony eyes. It turned to face Anna, who figured that by now, it was all over. If her prayers were answered, she could distract the thing long enough for the others to escape, but she felt weak from blood-loss.

Heavy paws raked across her front, leaving deep gashes in her chest, much like Zahalm's. Falling onto her back, she watched it step forward, placing its front legs across her shoulders, roaring in triumph.

What she saw next suprised her, for by now, she'd figured her minutes numbered. A hand shot above her and into the mouth of the beast, shoving what looked like a small parcel down its throat. Gagging and biting down, Anna saw that it took the hand with it, but it backed off of her.

Thick arms wrapped around her waist and dragged her backwards as she watched the Sphinx wretch for a few seconds before exploding with such force, she thought she'd die.

Entrails and mechanical parts rained down as she feebly tugged a bit of innard from her hair.

"Heh...It's raining Sphinx," she laughed before blacking out.

**_LINE BREAK_**

It was dark, and that was all Anna knew when her consciousness returned. She felt heavy, her limbs refusing to move even an inch. It took all she could to turn her head to her left, catching the sight of Milo lying on a cot next to her.

"Well, I never imagined Heaven to be so plain, but I guess this works," she mumbled.

Turning to her right, she frowned, eyes wide. Moliere was on a cot to her immediate right, scowling at her.

"Wait... If you're here, then this must be the other place! Why, God? Why?" she moaned.

Gaetan rolled his eyes and sneered, spitting on the floor between them. His arms were heavily bandaged, as well as his neck. A look of pure disgust was thoroughly plastered over his features.

"Normally, I would take zis time to stare at your breasts, but since you find zis 'ole situation an inconvenience to you, I won't spend my time ogling at some-sing you don't 'ave," he spat.

"You... I ought to... Who am I kidding?" she sighed, closing her eyes, "I don't have enough energy to ask you what that means with a witty comeback."

"I take eet you 'aven't looked at your chest lately."

"Oh, for goodness sake, they didn't have to take 'em off, did they?" she asked, exasperated.

"Non, but from what Sweet said, zey're mangled beyond all 'ope."

"Hope of what, you French weasle?"

Gaetan laughed a bit, coughing up a bit of blood. He looked rather ill to Anna, but she didn't expect she looked any better. For all she knew, it was the drugs that kept them both from trying to kill each other rather than haveing a less-than-polite conversation.

"Of seeing you on ze cover of Playboy magazine," he sniggered, hacking again.

Anna's face turned red with fury, but she could do nothing more than glare at him. He was truly one of the most vile people she'd ever met, her father included. Growling, she blinked and waited for him to catch his breath.

"I remember...it was raining Sphinx in the cavern. What happened, or do you even know?"

"You should be thanking me. Eet was I zat pulled you out of 'arm's way."

"Huh...Who'd have thought you had a soul? Why exactly did it explode? There was an arm above me, but that's all I can remeber."

She hated relying on him for information, but Milo was out cold and knowing him, he'd start vomiting and complaining about carrots as soon as she mentioned what had happened. Her nostrils flared, she was tempted to go back to sleep, but she doubted he'd allow her that comfort.

"Vinny stuffed some C4 down eet's throat. Took his hand off, but eet saved us. While you were yelling at zat Norwegian brat, he told me to get you away from ze creature, but eet took me some time to get there. He lit ze explosives and shoved zem down her throat, I pulled you out, zen BOOM! Eet rains Sphinx," he laughed.

"You know, it sounds to me like you had way too much fun doing that, but I won't question it further."

"Zat would be wisest," he said, cocking his head with a wide grin.

"Where's Vinny? Is he...okay?" Anna asked, completely ignoring his last remark.

The Parisian shrugged and gestured to his right. Anna could just see the slight bulge in the blankets, signing to her that a person lay there. Her face went slack, but she could do nothing more than turn her worried eyes back at the man beside her.

"Don't worry. He's not dead, but eet's pretty bad. Sweet said zat he's suffering a lot of blood-loss from where his hand was taken off, but not enough to kill him."

Anna heaved a sigh of relief, wincing slightly at the pain in her chest. Letting her eyes drift as far down as she could, she saw the numerous bandages winding themselves around her. Her legs and arms had sustained little injury, but her chest and back were a different story. She saw the pink tint of the bandages and grimaced.

"Look, I'm going back to sleep. If you dare keep me awake, I'll kill you when I feel better. You understand?" she said weakly.

"I don't 'ave the energy to keep pestering you, Miss. Per'aps when we awake?"

"Deal..." she trailed off, falling back into slumber.

When she awoke again, Anna found herself propped up into a sitting position, a small plate of food on the table beside her. It consisted of nothing more than a fish fillet, some disgusting looking herbs, and several pills. Next to it sat a tall glass of something that resembled one of Mimi's kelp Power Smoothies, only milkier and a lot more rank. The stench almost made her vomit, but she'd had nothing to eat, so she swallowed the small amount of bile and tried to will her arms to move.

"Eet's not so bad eef you swallow quickly. Take ze pills all at once and try not to let eet hit your tongue," came the nasally voice beside her.

"You'd better be telling the truth," she growled, doing as instructed.

The sad truth was, that he was right. Although the concoction tasted awful, she was sure it would be worse if it lingered in her mouth. She gagged, and set the glass down, trying to keep everything from coming back up. She heard his laughs, but was far more preoccupied with trying to find something worth drinking to get the foul taste out of her mouth.

"Zere's water right 'ere," Gaetan said, shakily offering her a glass.

Not caring to check and make sure, Anna forced herself to grab hold of the glass, draining it with two or three gulps. The foul taste disappeared, and she smiled a bit.

"I don't normally do this, but thanks," she muttered, returning the glass to the table.

She mentally kicked herself for not noticing the pitcher of water and two glasses between them earlier, but she'd been too tired to look at the time. Picking up the herbs, she chewed on them a bit, noting that they had a rather bland taste in comparison with her drink. Scarfing her fish, she set the plate aside and looked back at the Parisian, who was currently occupying himself with a few dirty magazines.

"So...Who are you, exactly?" she asked.

Dog-earring his issue and putting it aside, he studied her expression for a moment. She looked thoroughly drugged and unhappy, but he knew how she felt and decided not to mess with her...today. Propping himself on his side a bit, he grinned again.

"Gaetan Moliere. But tell me, why do you ask?"

Blowing her bangs from her eyes, she looked at him with a sour expression. Drugs or no, she still didn't like him. She'd be a little more passive for now, but when she got better... Oh, when she got better... That would be the end of peace. She only thought of this as a temporary truce, but she prayed to the gods that it wouldn't be too long until it was over. She truly wanted to get back to work again.

"I don't know. I didn't know who you were, and I still don't really care. I just like to be able to put a name to a face, you know? It's one of those self-satisfying deals. I mean, as long as we're here, we might as well be civil to one another."

"Zis is true. Polite conversation never hurt anyone. Zat's very kind of you, Miss Anna."

"You do know that later on, I'm going to look back on this and think it's the worst idea since Hitler's father told his wife, 'Let's go to upstairs, Brunhilda. I'm feeling a bit frisky tonight.' Then I'm going to laugh it off and go commit ritualistic suicide," she said dryly.

Gaetan couldn't help but laugh at her mannerisms, thinking that it must be the drugs. He'd have never thought the woman could have such a dry sense of humor, but it was enough to know that he'd be in good company until they became well enough to get back to work. Then, the drugs would wear off and they'd go back to hating each other as usual. The world would keep on spinning.

"You 'ave a very cold sense of humor. Who would lead us forward eef you killed yourself? We would be forever lost in a vast sea of dispair."

"You got that from a book, didn't you?"

"Well, I'm not illiterate, as you can see."

He gestured to the magazines on his side of the table. Anna snorted lightly, shaking her head.

"I'm suprised there's anything to read in those. Mainly thought it was all porn and such. Ah well, we're all imperfect anyway. Might as well admit it while I'm able to."

"Tell me, out of curiosity, what guilty pleasures do you 'ave? Zere 'as to be some-sing every man and woman does to assure zemselves zat, somewhere deep inside zem, zey are human. Surely, you agree?"

"I do, and don't call me Shirley."

"You're sick, you realize zis?"

"That's changing the subject. To be perfectly honest, I do fantasize, but that's really as far as it goes. No magazines, no books, just my imagination and me. By the way, don't tell linguist guy over there that I said that. He'll most assuredly scold me for it," she said, jerking her thumb in Milo's direction.

"He won't find out. You know some-sing, though? Zis is ze first time I've spent talking with a member of ze opposite sex for such an extended period of time."

Anna blinked in confusion. She would have taken him as a skirt-chasing pervert out for all the whores. Perhaps one with a certain affinity for exotic women, excluding Atlantean females for their ability kick ass like no tommorrow. Now, though, he seemed more like a human being; just another man talking to another woman, although both were outcast for any number of reasons, most of which Anna didn't want to think about.

"I have to say, I owe you an apology. I thought I'd figured you out by now, but I suppose I was wrong. You're not as bad as you seem."

"Is zat you, or ze drugs talking?"

"Maybe a little of both. I'm sure I'll take it back later on. Almost positive."

"Oui, but until zen, care to play some cards?"

"If I can move my arms and hands."

Carefully, she flexed them a bit. Finding that the pain was subsiding, she turned back to him and nodded. Why he had cards, she didn't ask and didn't need to know, but for a few hours, the two of them could act as civil people often do when playing Rummy, and Anna supposed that would be good for the both of them. At least she could escape the darkness of her heart, even for just a bit under the influence of pain killers and morphine.

**_I don't own the 'Shirley' phrase from Airplane, so don't sue me. Hitler joke came from an episode of Whose Line is it Anyway, which I don't own either. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Chapter six is on the way!_**


	6. Side Effects

Ch. 6: Side Effects

Well, here we are at chapter six. This fic, by far, has been one of the most enjoyable projects I've written. I'd like to thank all anonymous readers for even reading this far, and I hope you continue to read as this fic continues to grow in length. Free cookies for all! Well, here we go.

It would be three weeks before Anna and the other more greviously wounded members of the team would be ready to return to their project. During that time, Anna and Moliere would share a drug-induced truce, she letting him alone to occupy himself with his magazines, and he letting her alone to her own devices. They learned much more about each other, she of his family, and he of her...love of sappy poetry. This would no doubtedly be lost once they were back to normal, but they each had a higher respect for the other in the end.

Milo had suffered only a minor concussion due to a blow to the back of his head, and was by far, the luckiest of the truly injured. Zahalm's wounds, under the watchful eye of Mimi, were beginning to heal, although he had stayed in critical condition for a week and a half after the incident. News of all this made Anna smile, for she had worried night and day for her friends' lives.

On her troubled mind for the most part, was the thoughts of Vinny. He'd lost a hand to save her, and she could not think of any ways to thank him other than throwing her body in front of his in battle. For the duration of their recovery, he slept mostly, never speaking unless it was to complain about the awful beverage they were served. Anna worried that he was angry with her, and voiced this fear to Gaetan.

"He isn't angry wis you. Eef you've paid any attention to him at all, you'd know he's quiet. He just dosen't want to talk ees all," was his reply.

Sighing, she nodded, taking up her notebook and pen. Her chest and back wounds were mending well enough, but it was as Sweet had feared. If she ever bore children, there would be no way for her to breast feed them. Anna was intent to keep her body intact, though, and refused the doctor's offer to amputate, saying that she came into this world whole, and she intended to leave it whole.

"You know, it's going to be sort of sad when they take us off the medication and we go back to hating each other and fighting like dogs."

"Oui, but ze world, she must keep on spinning."

Anna glanced up and looked back at him for a moment, a sudden and puzzling thought running through her mind. If they were being totally honest, she decided she might as well voice it.

"Do you even remember what we were fighting about?"

Never taking his eyes off the center-fold, the man shrugged a bit, thinking it over before coming to a conclusion.

"I believe eet was your theory on zat earthquake thing sinking zat city we're looking for. I protested on ze grounds zat all you 'ad was mythological evidence, and you called me a 'French freak,' eef I recall correctly," he answered curtly.

Grunting in reply, Anna shifted nervously. The tranquilizers Sweet had prescribed her were strong enough to make that Sphinx passive, and the effects were kicking in dose after dose. Of course, she knew it would probably mean nothing to him if she apologized, and once she was back in her right state of mind, she figured that if he did care, she'd never admit it.

Letting her head flop back, she closed her eyes, watching the world through her lids. Since when had she ever been this open with a man she wasn't related to? Sure, she'd had close talks with her uncle and grandfather, but she'd never even been close to having a guy date her, so no one stuck around to listen. She wondered, perhaps, if he listened out of boredom and restlessness, or if he actually wanted to. After all, the medication given during the day was made to keep the patient from falling out, and not being able to leave bed would make anyone wish for distraction. Surely, even he couldn't stare at those magazines all day?

Her thoughts drifted back to the day of the incident. She was glad that Mimi, Sweet, Audrey, and Kida had been able to stay out of harm's way. The most any of them had as far as injury was perhaps a large scratch, or a minor burn from backing into the flames. Kida had come out famously, for she'd done a beautiful job of keeping Milo and Audrey safe. While Anna and the others were distracting the creature, Sweet had been quietly clearing an escape route back to the tunnel they'd entered from. He'd been the first to help Mimi and Zahalm.

Mimi had miraculously put aside her fear of blood to pull the chef out. Anna figured she loved the man too much to let him die, because, although they argued, squabbled, and fought roughly, she knew the young girl had a deep respect for the man. Anna made a mental note to commend Mimi along with the others during her report.

"Do you think we'll find it?" she murmured, allowing her tense body to relax.

Gaetan adjusted his glasses and looked over at her. She seemed at peace, which in itself was disturbing. He recalled what the chef had told them about her childhood and wondered if there was ever a moment in her life in which she was as relaxed as this. Mimi had helped her bathe a few days before, and with the dirt removed from her body and hair, she looked like an ivory carving, the only sign of life being the strained movement of her chest.

"Wis your determination, probably so. Are you 'aving doubts already?"

She did not open her eyes, nor did she move at all. All that gave her answer was the light 'Uh-huh' in her breathing. She felt weak, and wanted sleep badly, for the past few nights had been spent away with insomnia, which the doctor had spoken of as an effect on her mind. Apparently, since the attack, she'd become slightly paranoid during the evenings, making it hard for her to sleep. He'd given her extra tranquilizers, but her body fought back, and Sweet was afraid she'd become immune.

Mole turned over, gingerly tucking his arm under his pillow to prop up and watch her. She seemed to be drifting off, and although it would be in his nature to agitate her, he decided to let her sleep. There had been several occasions in which he would wake up to her shouts and screams in the middle of the night. They would all, of course, be caused by nightmares in her fitful sleep. He thought it best to wait and see if she would speak again, however doubtful that it would happen.

"I get scared...sometimes," she choked suddenly.

He jumped a little in suprise, thinking she'd already drifted off some time ago. Her statement was completely random and irrelevant to what they'd discussed earlier, but he decided to bite and go along with her.

"Scared? Of what?"

"Everything! People, creatures; they all want to hurt me; all want me to die," she breathed.

Her body shook as the crystal tears drifted slowly from her eyes. It was obvious to him that she was in pain, but he couldn't tell if it was truly her speaking, or another side effect of the medication. His stomach lurched, instinct telling him to either leave her or comfort her, neither of which he was capable of. Normally, he hated to see women cry, but his heart told him to at least speak.

"You say 'people'. Surely you can't mean all people. We don't want you dead, Anna. Why would Vinny and I 'ave risked our lives to save you back zere, eh?"

She swallowed, hoping to rid her throat of the lump that had formed in it. Gasping for breath, her body gave a violent shudder before she continued.

"I don't know!" she spat, her voice dripping venom.

With that, she fell promptly to sleep, leaving Gaetan in a stunned silence. Later, he would find this to happen quite more often. In the times Anna went on her tangents of self-loathing and paranoia, the geologist could only lie in bed and listen to her, sometimes adding semi-supportive dialogue to his part.

The weeks drew forward while Sweet began weaning his patients from their sedatives and tranquilizers, leaving Anna and Gaetan in foul moods. Of course, both of them hated being dependant on the injections, but they'd enjoyed the few weeks of peace much more than what they'd shared earlier.

The day of their release, Sweet instructed Anna on the proper application of ointment for her tender wounds. Having been off of the drugs completely for a few days, the woman was back to her normal, snippy self.

"So, now that we've got you off of the medication, how do you feel?" he asked, lightly.

His smile was met with a murderous scowl as she swiped the ointment from his hands and shoved it in her pocket. She wore a tube-tank, open sleeveless vest over her shoulders. She would have looked completely normal but for the bandages peeking from under the bottom of the tank.

"How do I feel? How do I feel! I just spent three weeks discussing the meaning of life with that...that pig over there! How do you think I feel!" she shouted, storming out of the tent.

**_

* * *

Anna sat in her tent, a disgusted look crossing her face as she opened the bottle of ointment. It smelled no better than the concoction she'd drunk for the past few weeks, and her stomach churned as she librally applied it to her wounds. The day had gone well; Milo remembered what he was supposed to be doing and the others were just about ready to return to work._**

Suddenly, it dawned on her that she hadn't visited Vinny at all since she'd been up, but her muscles protested, screaming at her to sleep instead. Ignoring them, she quickly tore a page from her notebook and scribbled down her thoughts. Folding it and placing it in her breast-pocket, she quickly strode out of the tent and back to the infirmary.

Vinny sat up in bed, reclined on a few pillows as he fought all odds to pick up his fork. You see, the Italian had always been right handed, and with said appendage missing, he was having quite a time trying to use his left.

Anna winced as a stream of curses were uttered out of his frustration. She could only imagine what he was going through. How could she ever be sorry enough for what had happened?

"Vinny?"

The Italian stopped his utterances and looked up at her with cold eyes. He blinked and turned his attention back to his meal as the woman approached.

"Vinny, I... I don't know how to thank you. I wish there was something I could do. Vinny, I'm so sor..."

"Quiet," he interrupted, voice snapping at her.

Her figure withdrew, eyes waxed with pain. How could he be so hostile at a time like this? She only wanted him to know how much she appreciated his help; to tell him that the loss was not in vain.

"It's not your fault, ya know? Don't let me hear your apologies. That's the last thing I need to hear, okay?"

"Then what can I do? How can I ever repay you?"

He sighed, voice lowering in tone as he turned his gaze upward.

"Don' treat me any different. Just because I'm missin' a hand dosen't mean I can't do my work, ya' know?"

Anna nodded, reaching into her pocket and producing the note she'd written earlier. Laying it on the table beside him, she gave a short bow and walked away.

Once in her tent, she changed clothes and nestled down on her bed, pulling the sheets up to her chin. Saying a quick prayer, she fell into a fitfull sleep. In her sleep, she wept, searing pain creeping up her spine and to the base of her skull. Her dreams were filled with night terrors, her shouts waking nearly half the camp.

Those employed by the Russian knew better than to go to her side and risk having their necks snapped, for Anna could be violent in her sleep and unknowingly kill a person too close to her at the time. Although it had not happened for several years, she had brutally beaten one man that had come to check on her during an episode several years ago, all the time never conscious of her actions.

Again, she found herself up with the rising sun. Dressing, she walked out to the center of the camp, standing in the center of the charred remains of the bonfire. Spreading her arms wide, she bowed low, greeting the new day.

"Praise to thee, God of Sun. Praise to thee, for thou hast bestowed life again upon we wretched mortals. We honor thine presence," she prayed.

Lifting her head, she watched the clouds roll by as the others began to emerge from their tents. The still morning was calming, and for all the day long, she and her team made progress. After having Milo isolate another site, they loaded the machines once again and left by nightfall.

"Surely, this journey will not be in vain," Anna whispered as the truck bounced to and fro.


	7. Awakening

**Ch. 7: Awakening**

**Wow, this is great! We love you all, ya' here? Keep reading and tell us what you think!**

The pocket they had isolated this time was not so secluded, thus the digger was an efficient tool for the job. Desert stretched far in all directions as Anna and the others unpacked and set up a temporary camp. Moliere had taken his vehicle a few miles away to begin the drilling.

"According to the maps and geological structure of the cavern, we should have access within a few days," murmured Milo.

The Russian's head jolted up, her eyes boring into his. His methods and calculations bored her, and she had just been ready to drift off when he spoke again.

"English, man! Speak it. How few are we speaking of. For me, a few is two days. Will it take longer or not?" she spat.

Resting her head on her arms again, she began to drum her fingers nervously in the sand. Finding no help with this, she began to trace figures instead, their mystical images gracing the earth underneath them. The ears, then the head of a cat appeared, followed by a crude figure of a human body. Next were the ears of another animal, one which Milo was unsure about until the head of a jackal was drawn beneath them again followed by a human body.

"Uh... Tonight and tomorrow night is all. By the next day after that, we should be able to enter. What are those?"

She turned a weary face to look up at him before rising to sit cross-legged in the sand.

"The cat-faced woman is Bast or Bastet, whichever you prefer. She is the goddess of music, dance, drink, and celebration. The jackal-god is Anubis, god of death and the gatekeeper to the underworld. Both are great deities and should be honored as such. Without the two of them, there would be little order in the world. I pray to them every day to ensure our success."

Milo nodded in understanding. It was still hard for him to grasp that the Russian was so dedicated to her work, that she had fully undertaken the ancient religion. Her customs were strange, and just as he'd had to in Atlantis, he would have to be patient and learn.

"I should be going now. I don't want that Parisian pig to strike anything important."

She stood, brushing the sand from her already dirty pants and began to walk away. Before she got far, Milo called out to her.

"Hey, Anna! What's going on between you and Mole? Has he done something wrong?"

She turned, her pallid complexion making her look far fiercer by accentuating her glaring eyes.

"He has done nothing to me yet, Mr. Thatch. I begrudge him for far more than it may look, but he has done no physical or verbal disgrace. Some things run farther than words or actions. Do not delve into matters so deep. I like my privacy."

With that said, she continued to walk, leaving shallow footprints in the sand until she began to ascend a dune. It looked as though she was having trouble walking, and her feet began to sink in the soft sand, but Milo didn't dare call out. She looked angry at herself; at the world. After scrambling out of his sight, Milo sighed and turned to look at her pictures once again, only to find wind-swept sand.

_**

* * *

"Have you found anything yet, you worthless dog?" Anna shouted down to Moliere.**_

"I would guard my words eef I were you! Zis is the worthless dog zat's getting you down zere in ze first place! I haf found a pocket of separate tombs… Zat good enough for you?"

The malicious grin that found its way to Anna's face startled the Parisian as she jumped down beside the machine he was sitting in. Before he could move away, her long arms had snaked their way around his shoulders, pulling him into her grip.

"You dirty little man, you've made my day!" she laughed.

It was then that she realized what she was doing and pushed back in disgust. She couldn't show him kindness! That would be unethical!

"That never happened. Continue," she growled, crawling back up to the surface.

It was not two days later that they had been able to ascend into the maze of tombs. The air was stale, and they had had to cut several ventilation holes into the ceiling; hoping against all odds that they hadn't compromised the stability of the structure.

"They are important…viziers, priests, scribes, tax collectors, and at least one lesser-concubine. We must work carefully…" muttered Anna as she scanned the walls.

Work began slowly, but stayed at a steady pace. Many of the doors to the tombs were worn so much that they needn't be forced, but there were a stubborn few that refused to yield. The fourth door had been a problem, but it was soon opened to reveal the tomb of a tax collector.

"His name was Izass; he was held in high regard of pharaoh."

The others held back at the entrance as Anna proceeded in. The smell of decay permeated the small room; much stronger than the others had been. It sickened them to watch the Russian to gently place a hand on the body in almost an affectionate way.

"Tell me your secrets…," she murmured.

Zahalm was the first to try and snap her out of her trance by tapping her on the shoulder. This was useless, so Mimi decided to give it a try.

"Anna, we have more to open."

This took the older woman out of her fantasy world long enough to reorganize her priorities.

"Yes, let's move on. We'll come back after they're all open.

The real trouble started on their third day of excavation. The fifth door was sealed tight and it took all Anna had not to ask Vinny to blow it to kingdom come. To lighten her mood, she began to whistle the Ode to Joy. The sound echoed and reverberated about the cavern.

As the team continued to move on farther away from the fourth door they failed to see a faint light glowing around the glyphs and inscriptions within the small tomb's walls. Soon, they were out of sight and had no clue as to what was being unleashed.

The body that Anna had so gently caressed twitched to life; the light morphing into flesh around the dried remains. The man that had once been a tax collector rose from his bed of sandstone and stretched. He was dark and stood just over five feet four inches. Tattoos and makeup adorned his sharp features and his eyes glowed with a pale brown color.

_"The hymn has been sung… It must be time for our return,"_ he rasped.

Quietly, he slipped out into the main cavern, looking for those that had summoned him. Seeing no one, he shirked back into the shadows and disappeared.

**Since I can't literally translate anything into Egyptian, all italicized things spoken will be given as said language. Bet you didn't know the Ode to Joy would raise people from the dead, eh? Well, I don't own the song, but I wish I owned Moliere! Anyway, the plot will get better next chapter, I promise! Read and review!**


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